Stop the Plan to Destroy Our Gulf's Living Coral Reefs

Join Guy Harvey Sportswear in protecting the valuable habitats provided by non-producting oil rigs.
Late in 2010, in what the Coastal Conservation Association calls a knee-jerk reaction to that summer's oil disaster, the U.S. Department of the Interior
announced a directive that all such rigs be pulled out within five years.

That would mean at this point, about 650 offshore rigs would
be destroyed. That's 650 individual, massive, living, vibrant coral-reef ecosystems - obliterated. (And keep in mind, these are huge vertical reefs offering structure and coral where
otherwise there would be only barren, smooth bottom.)

Rigs to Reefs Habitat Protection Act

But now there may be hope - in the form of federal legislation just introduced by Louisiana Sen. David Vitter called the Rigs to Reefs Habitat
Protection Act of 2011. "I appreciate the Coastal Conservation Association bringing this issue to my attention," he says. "More than ever, we need to create habitat for marine life in the Gulf,
not dispose of it. These idle rigs are serving a valuable purpose supporting our fisheries."

The Rigs to Reefs Habitat Protection Act would not allow platforms to be removed until assessments are completed to determine whether a platform supports coral populations or other
protected species, and to identify any species that have recreational or commercial value. If it is determined that a structure supports substantial reef ecosystems, its
decommissioning would be halted until it can be determined that removing it would not harm the reef ecosystem.